List of eponymously named medical signs

Eponymously Named Medical Signs are clinical signs that have been named after the physicians or medical scientists who first described them. These signs are used in the diagnosis and understanding of various medical conditions. This list includes some of the most well-known and widely used eponymously named medical signs in the field of medicine.

A

• Apley's scratch test: A test used to evaluate shoulder joint mobility, named after British orthopedic surgeon Alan Graham Apley.
• Argyll Robertson pupil: A condition where the pupil constricts when the patient focuses on a near object but does not respond to direct light, named after Douglas Moray Cooper Lamb Argyll Robertson.

B

• Babinski's sign: A reflex action of the big toe, named after French neurologist Joseph Babinski.
• Blumberg's sign: A sign of peritonitis, named after American surgeon Jacob Moritz Blumberg.

C

• Chvostek's sign: A clinical sign of existing nerve hyperexcitability, named after František Chvostek.
• Courvoisier's law: The observation that if in the presence of jaundice the gallbladder is palpable, it is unlikely to be due to gallstones, named after Ludwig Georg Courvoisier.

D

• De Musset's sign: A head bobbing that synchronizes with the heartbeat, named after Alfred de Musset.

E

• Ewart's sign: A physical sign of pericardial effusion, named after William Ewart.

F

• Fothergill's sign: A sign to differentiate between a true and false hernia, named after John Fothergill.

G

• Gowers' sign: A medical sign that indicates weakness of the proximal muscles, named after Sir William Richard Gowers.

H

• Hoffman's sign: A finding elicited on physical examination for neurological dysfunction, named after Johann Hoffmann.

I

• Irving's sign: A clinical sign of pericarditis, named after William Irving.

J

• Joffroy's sign: A clinical sign of exophthalmic goiter, named after Alexis Joffroy.

K

• Kernig's sign: A sign indicating meningitis, named after Vladimir Kernig.

L

• Lhermitte's sign: A sign indicating problems with the neck and cervical spine, named after Jean Lhermitte.

M

• Murphy's sign: A sign of gallbladder disease, named after John Benjamin Murphy.

N

• Nikolsky's sign: A clinical dermatological sign, named after Pyotr Vasilyevich Nikolsky.

O

• Osler's nodes: Painful, red, raised lesions found on the hands and feet, named after Sir William Osler.

P

• Pemberton's sign: A clinical sign for thoracic outlet syndrome or large goiter, named after Hugh Pemberton.

Q

• Quincke's sign: A sign of aortic insufficiency, named after Heinrich Irenaeus Quincke.

R

• Rovsing's sign: A sign of appendicitis, named after Niels Thorkild Rovsing.

S

• Schamroth's window test: A test for clubbing of the fingers, named after Leo Schamroth.

T

• Trousseau's sign: A sign of latent tetany, named after Armand Trousseau.

U

• Urbaniak's sign: A sign of scapholunate instability, named after James R. Urbaniak.

V

• Virchow's node: A left supraclavicular lymph node, named after Rudolf Virchow.

W

• Waddell's signs: A group of physical signs, named after Gordon Waddell.

X

• Xanthochromia: The yellowish appearance of cerebrospinal fluid that distinguishes various conditions, not named after a person but included for completeness.

Y

• Yergason's test: A test for the integrity of the biceps tendon, named after Samuel James Yergason.

Z

• Zinn's zonule: A ring of fibrous strands connecting the ciliary body with the crystalline lens of the eye, named after Johann Gottfried Zinn.